Know How / Combines This is your go-to area for everything related to combine harvesters. We offer tips for keeping old combines running well, how to select a new machine and all the specs and prices for the UK market. Latest combine articles COMBINESJohn Deere S7 combines get more power and updated cabSingle-rotor S7 combine harvesters from John Deere have been treated to a host of updates, including new engines, cabin and residue management systems. Power ranges from 402 to 533hp (436… COMBINESNew Holland unleashes biggest-ever combine – the CR11New Holland has pulled the wraps off its highest capacity combine harvester yet, which it hopes will leave the competition choking behind its chaff spreader. Dubbed CR11, the machine has… COMBINESNew Holland introduces its highest capacity combine yetThe battle to build the highest output combine harvester is hotting up, with New Holland set to launch its biggest machine yet. Details are still thin on the ground, but… MACHINERYHow New Holland’s IntelliSense system solves harvest pressureHarvest has always been an extremely pressured time of the year - time is precious, manpower is precious and everyone and everything must pull together to bring the harvest home.… COMBINESUltimate Guide to buying a combine 2024There are few machine and model updates for this year’s Ultimate Guide to combine harvesters – but there are some subtle changes to the tables themselves to make some of… COMBINESDriver’s view: Claas Trion 750 rated after two seasons' workThe launch of the Trion combines two years ago represented one of the biggest-ever shake-ups of the Claas range. Slotting between the high-output Lexions and late-of-this-parish Tucanos, they promised something… COMBINESBrace of John Deere X9 combines gobble 170t of wheat an hourIn its quest to build the highest-output combine harvester on the market, John Deere came up with a machine that was also the most expensive. Commanding a heady starting list… Combine reviews and testsSee all COMBINESDriver’s view: Claas Trion 750 rated after two seasons' workThe launch of the Trion combines two years ago represented one of the biggest-ever shake-ups of the Claas range. Slotting between the high-output Lexions and late-of-this-parish Tucanos, they promised something… COMBINESBrace of John Deere X9 combines gobble 170t of wheat an hourIn its quest to build the highest-output combine harvester on the market, John Deere came up with a machine that was also the most expensive. Commanding a heady starting list… COMBINESDriver's view: Richard Ledger's Claas Lexion 8900 combineKent farmer Richard Ledger is one of several UK growers to have run a pre-production version of Claas' latest range-topping Lexion combines. We get the verdict from driver Nigel Richardson.… COMBINESDriver's view: Peter Booth's Claas Tucano 320We get the details on Angus arable farmer Peter Booth’s Claas Tucano 320 that replaced a near-identical model in 2017. See also: Combine add-ons can help slash spread of weed seeds… Driver's view: Massey Ferguson DeltaVital stats Twin-rotor hybrid threshing| 509hp Sisu 7-cylinder engine with AdBlue| 9.2m header| 9,500-litre grain tank| Made in Italy A bit of background How has it performed? Likes & gripes… Driver's view: John Deere S690iVital stats Single-rotor threshing| 617hp Deere 6-cyl twin-turbo| 10.7m (35ft) header| 10,600-litre grain tank| Made in USA A bit of background How has it performed? Likes & gripes Farm facts… Farmers review Case, Claas and Deere combinesTwo years ago we picked seven different makes of two-year-old combine and got a warts-and-all report from their owners and drivers. We’ve repeated the exercise again this year to see… MACHINERYCombine users give their verdicts two years onTwo years ago we picked seven different makes of two-year-old combine and got a warts-and-all report from their owners and drivers. We’ve repeated the exercise again this year to see… Driver's view: Sampo Rosenlew 3065Vital stats Six straw-walkers| 210hp Sisu engine| 5.1m header| 6500-litre grain tank| Made in Finland A bit of background How has it performed? Farm facts Small fields and high rainfall… Driver's view: Claas Tucano 440A bit of background How has it performed? Vital stats Farm facts Until 2000, MF red had been the colour-scheme of choice at the Cousins’ family farm in Essex. But… COMBINESArticulating Tribine combine is king of the US harvestJust two years ago, an Indiana farmer hand-picked a team of engineers from far and wide to set about his off-the-wall ambitions to build a colossal-capacity, bend-in-the-middle combine. We meet… COMBINESVideo: It's coming - Massey's huge 650hp Ideal combineClaas and New Holland might reign supreme in European harvesting circles, but Agco is hoping to knock them down a peg or two with its highest output and most sophisticated… Combine buying advice Ultimate guide to buying a combine 2023 Buying alternative combine headers - the options Guide to buying a used hill-sider combine Tips for buying a quality used combine on a £40,000 budget How Kent farmers saved £33,000 on buying a new combine What to look for when buying a used combine What costs to consider when increasing combine capacity Driver's view: Greenshields Agri's 13.7m MacDon FD2 header Combine guidesSee all COMBINESUltimate guide to buying a combine 2022After something of a stop-start harvest that for numerous growers involved cutting crops new to their rotation, manufacturers and dealers are looking to sign up customers for combines delivering additional… COMBINESOn test: Combine reversing cameras – which is best?Clobbering the back of your combine harvester against an oak tree or backing over the boss’s pickup is no fun whatsoever. So the addition of a rear-view camera to keep… COMBINESLancs engineer modifies mint Claas and Deere combine fleetFew combine harvesters leave a contracting business in better condition than when they arrived, but that’s usually the case for the cosseted examples run by Lancashire outfit A Johnson Agricultural… MACHINERYTop tips to keep your combine running in the wetAugust invariably delivers a spell of bad weather, so we’ve put together 20 top tips from the experts on how to ease the flow of damp crops through the combine.… TECHNOLOGYSimple guide to telematics and performance monitoringOf all the key machines on an average arable farm, the combine is king. It’s the most expensive piece of any machinery – top-of-the-range machines can hit the £400,000 mark… COMBINESUltimate guide to buying a combine 2023New and improved models at the top and bottom end of the performance spectrum characterise the changes in this year’s Ultimate Guide to combines – along with the arrival of… COMBINESCombine buyers guide 2018Combine makers around the globe have been rebuilding and updating their ranges ahead of next year’s harvest. With that in mind, our Combine buyers guide 2018 (PDF) contains the specs and… COMBINESHeadsight system automates combine header heightA bespoke header control kit could increase yield and reduce downtime by keeping the table height accurate in all conditions. The system is built by Canadian firm Headsight, and the… COMBINESGuide to buying a used hill-sider combineTrue full body levelling on combines is not just a nice-to-have feature – for some farms it’s essential. And although the additional cost when buying new isn’t as much as… COMBINESUltimate guide to buying a combine 2021Increased capacity potential with more sophisticated powertrains promising lower running costs are common themes among new combine harvesters listed in this year’s Ultimate Guide for harvest 2021. At Claas, the… Combine buyers guide 2014Tweaks and upgrades rather than major new model introductions characterise combine developments for the 2014 harvest. Click on each manufacturer to see their specifications. Case IH Claas Deutz Fahr John… MACHINERY2019 Ultimate guide to buying a combineIncreased automation to help both experienced and inexperienced combine operators is the highlight of upgrades to the latest crop of machines destined for harvest 2019. New sensor technology can now… VideoSee all MACHINERYVIDEO: New Holland combine tracks - how they workNew Holland harvester specialist Nigel Honeyman explains how the firm's new combine track system works. [fwi_vidyard code="H4xpBcJmtCz3qbViCP5dGQ"] Video: Is a 61ft header the largest in the world?This video fascinating video filmed in December 2008 shows a Claas Lexion 600 with a 61ft (18.6m) header working in drought hit wheat in New South Wales, Australia. The cutom-built header… MACHINERYMonster John Deere combine in action[fwi_vidyard code="dyrxMsd6xM87NQU70t8Yxw"] Boasting the largest grain tank on the market, the most powerful engine and new rubber track units, John Deere’s monster S690i rotary combine is out to impress. The… COMBINESVideo: Claas launches Trion combine range as Tucanos scrappedBuyers will no longer have to order a model from Claas’ biggest Lexion range to spec all the popular bells and whistles after the German maker launched its new ultra-flexible… Combine insights and practical adviceSee all COMBINESTips for setting your combine correctlyGetting your combine set up as close to perfect as possible can make a huge difference to harvest grain losses and crop profitability. Here, we run through the key settings… COMBINESUltimate guide to buying a combine 2022After something of a stop-start harvest that for numerous growers involved cutting crops new to their rotation, manufacturers and dealers are looking to sign up customers for combines delivering additional… COMBINESAgronomist-built combine attachment helps monitor lossesA novel Canadian combine attachment is helping growers calculate the monetary value of thrown-away grains by checking tailings as they fall from the machine. The Bushel Plus system was developed… COMBINESHow combine add-ons can help slash weed seed spreadCombinable crop producers in the UK are being pushed into a corner when it comes to controlling herbicide-resistant grassweeds and it's looking increasingly likely that the answer will come from… Machinery giants: How Case IH became a big name in farm kitYou have to go right back to the 1820s to witness the beginnings of Case IH. The McCormick family was developing a new reaping machine that was demonstrated successfully in… COMBINESLancs engineer modifies mint Claas and Deere combine fleetFew combine harvesters leave a contracting business in better condition than when they arrived, but that’s usually the case for the cosseted examples run by Lancashire outfit A Johnson Agricultural… Exotic and unusual harvesters: Sugar caneThe earliest sugar cane harvesters date from the 1920s and a single machine could replace up to 100 labourers. In Australia, mechanical harvesters first appeared in the 1950s and were… MACHINERYTop tips to keep your combine running in the wetAugust invariably delivers a spell of bad weather, so we’ve put together 20 top tips from the experts on how to ease the flow of damp crops through the combine.… TECHNOLOGYSimple guide to telematics and performance monitoringOf all the key machines on an average arable farm, the combine is king. It’s the most expensive piece of any machinery – top-of-the-range machines can hit the £400,000 mark… COMBINESRetrofit combine yield monitor provides low-cost crop dataFrom decision-making on crop dryer settings to variety choices for the next cropping year, there is value to be had in being able to quickly access and make use of… How Versatile's RT490 combine made it to UK farmsVersatile is a well-known name in the world of articulated prairie monsters and its recently launched four-track crawler has reignited UK interest in the brand. The Canadian maker’s machines have… SOILS6 top tips to minimise compaction at harvestClimate predictions indicate that for the next 20 years there is a 35-40% chance of a wetter-than-average summer, giving rise to the potential for disrupted and challenging harvests. Aside from…